Custard Cream Biscuits
About this recipe
Custard Creams are one of the most beloved British biscuits—light, crumbly, and filled with a sweet, creamy custard-flavoured filling. While the store-bought ones are great, nothing beats homemade! With just a few simple ingredients, you can recreate this childhood favourite with even more flavour and the perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The key to the best Custard Creams is using custard powder in both the biscuit dough and the filling. This gives them their signature flavour and beautiful golden colour. The biscuits themselves are light and buttery, with a delicate crumb that pairs perfectly with the rich vanilla filling. Plus, they’re surprisingly easy to make, requiring only basic baking skills.
Whether you're making them for a nostalgic treat, an afternoon tea, or just because, these homemade Custard Cream Biscuits will take you right back to your favourite biscuit tin!
FAQ: Custard Cream Biscuits
1. What is custard powder, and why is it used?
Custard powder is a blend of cornflour, vanilla flavouring, and colouring that mimics the taste of traditional custard. It gives these biscuits their signature flavour and soft texture.
2. Can I make these biscuits without custard powder?
You can substitute cornflour and a bit of vanilla extract, but for that true Custard Cream flavour, custard powder is best!
3. How do I get the perfect biscuit texture?
- Chill the dough before rolling to prevent spreading.
- Don’t overwork the dough—handle it gently to keep the biscuits light and crumbly.
- Bake until just golden for that delicate, crisp texture.
4. How should I store Custard Creams?
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you want to keep them fresh for longer, you can freeze the biscuits (without filling) and add the cream when serving.
5. Can I flavour the filling?
Absolutely! While vanilla is classic, you can add lemon zest, cocoa powder, or even a touch of coffee to the cream for a unique twist.
6. Can I make these vegan?
Yes! Use vegan butter and dairy-free custard powder, and replace the milk in the filling with a plant-based alternative.
Experience the simple joy of these timeless biscuits that have stood the test of time, satisfying generations with their charming simplicity.
Ingredients
Dough
- 200 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 50 g custard powder
- 50 g icing sugar
- 175 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Custard Cream Filling
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp custard powder
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 400g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g custard powder
- 100g icing sugar
- 350g unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g unsalted butter
- 200g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- 600g plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 150g custard powder
- 150g icing sugar
- 525g unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g unsalted butter
- 300g icing sugar
- 3 tbsp custard powder
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp whole milk
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup custard powder
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp custard powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 3 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup custard powder
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- 5 ¼ cups plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup custard powder
- ¾ cup icing sugar
- 2 ¼ cups unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar
- 3 tbsp custard powder
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl add your flour, baking powder, custard powder and sugars into the bowl and mix with a whisk.
- Once combined add in the cubed butter and mix until the ingredients look like fine sand with a rubbing movement with your fingers, kinda like you would for sweet pastry.
- Pour in the milk and vanilla and bring them together into a dough.
- Flatten the dough into a disc then cover the dough with clingfilm and put it in the fridge to chill for one hour this is really important or your dough will melt in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 160ºC Fan / Gas 4 / 350ºF.
- Dust a surface with flour and roll the dough out to 3mm thick roughly the thickness of your iPhone, if it's too thin the dough will stick to the cookie cutter and make a mess.
- Cut out the biscuits by pressing the cutter into the rolled-out dough, then push down on the button to print the biscuits with the Custard Cream pattern. If you find your dough is sticking a lot to the cutter you will need to chill your dough in the freezer for 10 mins and then roll it out again.
- Once all your cookies have been cut, freeze your cookies for a minimum of 20 minutes this will ensure it doesn't melt in the oven.
- Transfer the biscuits onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10-11 mins until the biscuits are firm and starting to go golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool.
- To make the buttercream, Cream together the butter, icing sugar, custard powder, vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth, pale and the consistency of spreadable butter.
- Using a palette knife or piping spread over a layer of buttercream onto half the biscuits. Next, pair up the biscuits with another half that is roughly the same size and shape (as they will vary slightly). Sandwich the two halves together gently and enjoy!
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